Road Tips

Thai Place - Shawnee Mission, KS

As I've said a few times before, I don't eat as much Asian food when I'm on the road as I'd like.  Many of the places I've eaten in literally soak their food in Mono-sodium Glutamate, and MSG and I don't get along very well.  So, it's with a little trepidation that I seek out a good Chinese or Thai place while I'm on the road.  However, this time in Kansas City I found a very good little Thai restaurant - Thai Place in suburban Shawnee Mission (see map). 

Thai Place is owned by the Liberda family, whose mother, Ann, founded Thai Place in the 1991.  Ann came over from Thailand in the mid-70's and initially worked as a beautician after she came to the U.S.   Ann then ended up working in a restaurant called Bangkok Pavilion in Overland Park.  She was a sharp looking, sassy woman who interacted with the customers with ease.  

Ann left Bangkok Pavilion in 1990 and a year later she opened the original Thai Place restaurant in Overland Park.  Helped by her sons Michael and Ted (who is the head chef for all the Thai Place restaurants), and daughter, Chiara, Ann Liberda's empire has now risen to five locations across the Kansas City metro area.  A lot of the local's call it the best Thai food in town. 

The original Thai Place is situated in a strip mall on the south side of Sante Fe Road in Shawnee Mission.  It's set back from the street, so - of course - I drove by it the first time I went there.  Once I figured out that I'd gone too far, I called up On-Star for turn-by-turn navigation and the service took me right to the place.  Since then, I've figured out that I've got the turn-by-turn navigation, I may as well use it. 

The interior of Thai Place is very cozy, white linen table cloths are on the tables, there's Thai artwork on the walls, the light fixtures are interesting to look at and there's a small area toward the back of the restaurant.  I was seated in a booth and was given a menu to look through.  One of the things Thai Place prides itself on is the eclectic and unusual Thai food they have to offer.  After he graduated from culinary school about 10 years ago, Ted Liberda has spent a number of years researching authentic Thai foods to add to the menu.  

Now, I'm not a very adventurous guy when it comes to Thai food, but some of the things they had on the menu were very interesting.  They had four different types of curry dishes that I normally don't see on menus at other Thai restaurants.  They had 16 different types of seafood stir fry, including a squid-jalapeno dish, along with a flash fried Chilean sea bass topped with Thai Place's famous spicy Sam Rod sauce.  

They also featured vegetarian dishes, along with regular rice and noodle entrees, salads, soups and appetizers.  But I was looking for something like my old stand-by - spicy basil beef.  But - oh man - they had some other interesting beef stir-fry dishes, too.  They had a tantalizing jalapeno beef stir fry  - beef stir fried with jalapeno chunks and onions.  Thai Place also featured a beef mushroom stir fry with three different types of mushrooms and scallions.  (I have GOT to quit writing this blog on an empty stomach!)  And they had a garlic beef with roasted garlic, scallions, and white pepper all served over chopped cabbage.  Oh boy!!!

But it got down to choosing between the Ginger Beef (ginger, bell peppers, onions and fresh mushrooms), or the Beef Scallions (scallions, onions and dried chili peppers).    When my waiter came back to take my order, I told him I was torn between the two.  He said, "If you wish, we can combine the two."  He suggested getting the Ginger Beef and adding the scallions and dried chili pepper.  I asked if he could also have the chef sprinkle some white pepper on the top and he said it would be no problem.  He also wanted to know if I wanted fried rice or steamed rice.  I went with the fried rice.

It wasn't long - less than 15 minutes - before my food showed up.  It was a heaping plate of beef and vegetable stir fry served with a healthy side of fried rice.  I eagerly devoured a couple slices of beef and the taste was, well, it was remarkable.  The vegetables were perfectly cooked, the dish was a potpourri of taste sensations and although it was a little spicy, it didn't detract from the overall taste of the food.  In a word, the food was outstanding.  

I don't know what it is about Thai food, but it's so good that I usually end up over-eating each time I go.  It could be the ginger, it could be the sauce, it could be some mind-numbing drug from Southeast Asia they incorporate into the food.  Whatever it is, it's great.  And so addictive.  Each time I look at all the food they bring out and I think, "There's no friggin' way I'm going to eat all of this."  But each time, I do.   

I didn't have any alcohol with my meal and it still ended up being $18 bucks before tip.  While I thought the prices at Thai Place were a little high, it was still a great meal.  In a city where steak and barbecue rule, I'm glad that I was able to find a restaurant like Thai Place.  They have so many things to choose from on their menu, I'll be able to go back time and time again and try any one of the wonderful and interesting food Ted Liberda's come up with.

Kin Khao - New York

After our experience at The Ear Inn, we walked a few blocks to the east to the SoHo area of Manhattan to have dinner at Kin Khao, an upscale Thai restaurant. (see map) Now, I think the world's greatest Thai restaurant is Crazy Wok (now Tantro Asian Bistro), not far from our house here in Davenport.  So Kin Khao would be a great measuring stick for "the Wok". 

Kin Khao, which means "eat rice" in Thai, is one-third of the Eat Rice group of restaurants in Manhattan.  The other two are Kelly and Ping with one in Soho and the other in the Bowery.  Kin Khao opened in 1991 and has been a favorite destination for Thai food for New Yorkers for years. 

We were able to be seated immediately in a big circular booth just past the bar area.  We could easily see into the kitchen to see the chefs preparing food for the patrons.  The atmosphere was classy, yet muted with a darkened dining area that made it feel cozy.  The place was about three-quarters full, but it wasn't loud at all.  It was a nice experience. 

The menu at Kin Khao was similar to other Thai restaurants I've been to, but they had the menu divided into regions of Thai cuisine.  They had Northern Thai food, coastal Thai entrees, and Central Thai food.  There was a lot to choose from. 

One of our guests, Fred Z from Los Angeles, is a vegetarian. Fred was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to find much in the way of vegetarian on the menu, but it turned out Kin Khao had a good selection of vegetarian dishes, as well.

Before we started, we each ordered drinks.  I ordered a Singha, the most popular beer in Thailand.  However, Todd's girlfriend, Jennifer, ordered up Kin Khao's specialty drink for the evening - a Mojito.  Simon and Todd followed my lead with a Singha, while Fred stuck with water.

I was interested in a number of things on the menu.  They had a grilled pork dish with garlic, chilis and onions that looked interesting.  I also kept looking at the sauteed shrimp with garlic and black pepper.  As our waiter began to take our order, I was getting ready to order the sliced steak with a lemongrass marinade until I noticed the sliced beef cooked with Thai basil, garlic and onions.  Since that was about as close to my favorite meal at Crazy Wok back home, I'd see how well Kin Khao did theirs.  So I ordered that. 

After about a 20 minutes wait, our orders came to the table.  The presentation was nice, the food looked good and it was time to dig in with the chop sticks.  My sliced beef with basil was good, very good.  Not as outstanding as the beef with basil I get back home at Crazy Wok (Tantro), but it was certainly very good.  The chilis did give it a nice little kick. 

Frankly, I can't remember what everyone else got, but they were all pleased with their offerings.  Including Fred who is very particular about his vegan foods, but he was overly happy with his dish. 

Kin Khao used to be a lot more popular back in the 90's, but I'm sure it still holds its own against other Thai restaurants in Manhattan.  For New York, I thought the prices were very reasonable, but still much higher than what you'd find in the Midwest.  Still, I'd recommend Kin Khao for a very nice Thai dinner and a great atmosphere if you get to New York.   

(Update - Unfortunately, Kin Khao in Soho is closed.  Actually, it closed not long after we ate there.)

Tantra Asian Bistro (Formerly Crazy Wok) - Davenport

(Update - Crazy Wok went through a facelift in 2008, added space to double their capacity, changed the interior to more of a contemporary Asian bistro look and changed their name to Tantra Asian Bistro.  It's still just as good as it was when it was called Crazy Wok.  Maybe better.) 

I've had a few people say to me, "Why don't you talk about Quad City restaurants?  Don't you go out to eat when you're home?"

Well, yes, we do.  Almost too much, it seems, given that I would rather cook at home than eat in a restaurant most nights.  But with our schedules out of whack lately - and the fact that our kitchen has been going through an excruciatingly slow remodel process - we've found ourselves eating out more often than not over the past couple of months.

One of the places that we've found is a little Thai restaurant called Crazy Wok Tantra Asian Bistro on E. 53rd St. in Davenport (see map).  Now, over the years, I haven't been too hip on Thai restaurants.  The first Thai restaurant I ever ate at - the old Sri Lanka in Minneapolis - was "burn-your-face-off" hot.  Well, actually, that was over 20 years ago when I ate there and I've since garnered an appreciation for spicy foods.  I'd always said that I'd like to go back and try it again, but they've since closed up.

We have another Thai restaurant not far from our house - Exotic Thai - that Cindy really liked.  She took me there one night and I was not impressed with it.  I thought the portions were small for the price and I just didn't care for the taste sensations - or the lack of taste sensations - that I thought Thai food should have. 

Cindy continued to go to Exotic Thai, especially when I would be out of town.  Earlier this year, Crazy Wok Tantra opened up and Cindy gave it a try one evening when I was traveling.  She was instantly hooked. 

About a week later, she brought home some of their spicy basil and beef for me to try one Saturday last spring when we were working in the yard.  The taste sensation was out of this world.  I told her that, yes, I wanted to go try this place out.

We went there soon thereafter and I ordered the spicy basil with beef again.  It was even better than the stuff she brought home.  It wasn't all that spicy (then again - what's spicy to us is frigging red hot to others), and there was a great after taste in the sauce they used with the beef and basil.  It was outstanding.

We went there again a few weeks later and I had the ginger beef.  Although it was good, it was not as good or flavorful as the spicy basil and beef.  Each time we've gone back, I've gotten the spicy basil and beef.  And the last time I went, I asked them to spice it up even more and to add garlic.  The bottom line on the taste?  It was out of this world.

It turns out that one of the partners in Exotic Thai - I only know him as Kevin - is the guy who started Crazy Wok Tantra.  He's a very nice guy and is always appreciative when we come in. 

Cindy told me that she's since gone back to Exotic Thai and she said, "Oh, I can tell a BIG difference between the two.  Crazy Wok (Tantra) is so much better.  I won't go to Exotic Thai again."

Actually, you can order the spicy basil dish with either beef, chicken or pork.  But I always go with the beef.  I just want to lick the plate clean, it's so damn good.

The big thing about Crazy Wok Tantra is that it's elegant, but not pretentious.  The atmosphere is comfortable.  They don't allow smoking any where in the restaurant.  There's linen table cloths on each of the tables.  The service is always good.  They do have Thai beers and a nice little wine list.  And their bathrooms are the cleanest bathrooms I've ever been in at a restaurant. 

Crazy Wok Tantra is one of those great little Quad City secrets that I've just outed here in Road Tips.